Across generations, visionaries have transformed silence into art by daring to imagine
what music might be
This season, we honor four legacies of creative courage
Tickets Available September 1, 2026
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WALTER HUSSEY AND THE ART OF COMMISSION
The Reverend Walter Hussey reimagined the church as a place of living artistic creation, commissioning works from major figures in both music and visual art.
Framed by Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, both commissioned by Hussey, the Back Bay Chorale opens its season with the world premiere of Zachary Wadsworth’s De Profundis, a setting of texts by an imprisoned Oscar Wilde composed as a modern analogue to Rejoice in the Lamb.
A BOSTON CHRISTMAS
Beginning in 1983, Sir Stephen Cleobury, King’s College, Cambridge established the now-beloved tradition of commissioning a new carol each year. In that same spirit, the Back Bay Chorale inaugurated its own annual carol commissioning competition in 2025.
This program offers beloved music of the season, including commissions from King’s, alongside fresh reflections on Christmas’s most enduring images and stories, including the world premiere of the 2026 Back Bay Chorale Carol Commission.
DONALD NALLY AND THE LIVING TRADITION
Donald Nally is one of the defining figures in contemporary choral music. Through his leadership of The Crossing, the internationally acclaimed Philadelphia-based professional choir devoted to new music, he has transformed the possibilities of choral commissioning, performance, and collaboration.
With four GRAMMY Awards for Best Choral Performance, Nally has become a singular force in shaping the living choral tradition. In this special concert, he guest conducts the Back Bay Chorale in Faneuil Hall.
KOUSSEVITZKY'S BOSTON
Few figures shaped Boston’s musical life more profoundly than Sergei Koussevitzky. Through his leadership and commissioning work he helped make the city a vital center for musical creation.
The program opens with Randall Thompson’s Alleluia, and closes with Francis Poulenc’s Gloria, two of Koussevitzky's great commissions, premiered by soprano Adele Addison and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1961. As Addison marks her 101st year, this performance also honors her enduring place in the work’s history.
COMMUNITY SING: CHICHESTER PSALMS
Commissioned in 1965 by the Very Reverend Walter Hussey for Chichester Cathedral, Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms seamlessly blends Hebrew liturgical texts with 20th-century rhythmic vitality. Building on a cherished tradition of participatory community sings, we look forward to welcoming musicians and music lovers to explore this celebrated masterpiece together.
Members of the community are invited to engage with the score either as singers or as audience members within historic and beautiful Old South Church. Whether lending your voice to the ensemble or listening from the pews, this event offers a rewarding and uplifting collaborative musical experience.